Alison Pearce Stevens

Freelance Writer

Alison Pearce Stevens is a former duck wrangler, beekeeper and forever science geek who specializes in writing about science and nature for kids. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, their kids and a small menagerie of cuddly (and not-so cuddly) critters. She writes for Science News Explores, Highlights for Children, ASK (Arts and Sciences for Kids) magazine and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is the author of several award-winning books, including Rhinos in Nebraska, Animal Climate Heroes and Detective Dogs.

All Stories by Alison Pearce Stevens

  1. Tech

    Powered by poop and pee?

    Scientists are developing methods to not only remove human waste from wastewater, but also to harness the energy hidden within it.

  2. Health & Medicine

    Too many football hits can change the brain

    A former football player who died in his mid-20s had serious Alzheimer's-like damage that doctors are now linking to repeated concussions.

  3. Brain

    Meditation may boost teen memory

    Teens who trained in a practice called mindfulness meditation saw improvements in their ability to remember things.

  4. Brain

    Cool Jobs: Getting in your head

    Experimental psychologists study animals and people to understand the roots of behavior.

  5. Plants

    Banana threat: Attack of the clones

    Researchers find that disease-causing fungi — all clones of one another — will continue to infect banana plants unless new steps are taken to stop their spread.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Study equates sleepless nights with high-fat diet

    Getting too little sleep has the same effect on blood sugar as eating high-fat foods, a study in dogs finds. This may set the body up for diabetes.

  7. Brain

    When every face is a stranger’s face

    Some people can’t recognize faces — any faces, even their mother’s. Scientists are working to understand this ‘face blindness’ and help those who suffer from it.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Internet use may harm teen health

    Using the Internet more than two hours a day puts teens at risk of high blood pressure, a new study finds.

  9. Brain

    Explainer: What is anxiety?

    Anxiety is the stress linked to worries about an upcoming event — one that may not even happen. But anxiety can affect the body every bit as much as does the stress provoked by staring down a hungry lion.

  10. Earth

    The dirt on soil

    More than just dirt, soils teem with microbes essential for growing crops. Soils also help prevent floods and even play a role in climate change.

  11. Brain

    Study challenges safety for teens of two depression drugs

    Scientists reanalyze data on the safety of common drugs to treat depression and find that they don’t seem to help teens. Worse, the drugs may harm them.

  12. Animals

    Cool Jobs: Finding new uses for nature’s poisons

    Scientists study toxins and other natural compounds in search of alternatives to ineffective antibiotics and dangerous pesticides.

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